Meat Cupcakes with Jalapeño Butternut Squash Icing

I first heard rumors about Meat Cupcakes from a few of our athletes around the gym. Upon googling, I found this recipe on seasidekitchen.blogspot.com. They were a big hit at the last family dinner hosted at my house!

For the cupcakes:

1 lb ground turkey

1 lb ground pork sausage

1 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tbs fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped

1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup almond meal

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 400 and spray a muffin tin with olive oil, or grease with coconut oil. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl (using your hands works the best) and place meat mixture in to a muffin tin. You can fill up the cups to the brim as the meat won't expand out and up. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until cooked thoroughly.

For the "icing":

1 small butternut squash

1 tbs coconut oil

2 tbs pickled jalapeños (plus extras for garnish)

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Wrap each 1/2 in foil and bake until tender. Scoop out the roasted flesh and pulse in a food processor with the coconut oil (easier to work with if you warm it up) and jalapenos until you have a smooth paste. Frost away!

Notes:

• I used 1lb of grass finished ground beef and 1 lb of ground pork. I left out the cilantro as I have some cilantro-hating family.
• My easy cooking tip for the butternut squash (or any squash) is to place the whole thing in the microwave and hit the "baked potato" auto sensor cook button. It comes out perfect every time in about 10-12 minutes!
• I wasn't sure how many jalapeños "2 tbs" would really be, so I used about 15 slices. It has the tangy sweetness, but wasn't too spicy. Oh and I used butter in the icing instead of coconut oil... cause, ya know.. butter makes everything delicious

Ginger Beef

Loosely based off of this recipe from Everydaypaleo.com, here is a delicious ginger beef recipe to satisfy any asian flavor cravings.

1-2lbs of grass finished beef

2 TB Coconut Oil

Marinade:

1 medium piece of ginger root

Juice of 1 orange

2 TB Wheat free Tamari

2 TB Sesame Oil

Fresh ground black pepper

Sauce:

1/4 Cup of beef broth

1 TB honey (optional)

1/2 tsp red chili flakes (optional)

Veggies - anything you want!

2 Stalks of celery

2 Carrots

1 head of swiss chard, sliced thin into "noodles"

Slice the beef into this strips. It's easiest to do this when it's partially frozen.

Peel the ginger and squeeze through a garlic press to yield mostly juice and a few small pieces. Discard the dry, fibrous material that remains after juicing. Add the ginger juice and all the marinade ingredients to the beef. Set aside to marinate.

Heat the coconut oil on high heat in a wok or large skillet. Fry the beef until cooked through, then reduce the heat and add the veggies. Stirfry for 2-3 minutes, then add the sauce mixture. Simmer until liquid is reduced.

Notes: We had this served over spaghetti squash and it was delicious. It would also be excellent over zucchini "noodles" or shredded broccoli. The only thing I left out that I would add next time is 1-2 cloves of crushed garlic in the marinade.

Morroccan Beef Stew

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 3/4 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon lemon peel

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add beef to pan and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to plate. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion, carrot, and garlic to pan. Cook until vegetables are soft, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add spices; stir 1 minute. Add broth, olives, raisins, and cilantro; bring to boil. Simmer until juices thicken, about 5 minutes. Add beef and any accumulated juices and lemon peel to pan. Stir to warm through and serve.

Notes

I made this receipe with elk and let it simmer in the slow cooker all day. The meat turned out tender, flavorful, and delicious

Double Chocolate Gluten Free Brownies

So it would definitely be an abuse of the term to call these brownies "Paleo", but they are at the very least a gluten free little treat.

Ingredients

½ cup dark chocolate chips
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda2 eggs
½ cup agave nectar
¼ cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup chopped pecans
⅓ cup dark chocolate chips

Place ½ cup chocolate chips in food processor and pulse until the consistency of coarse sand

Pulse in coconut flour, salt and baking soda until combined

Pulse in eggs, agave, coconut oil and vanilla

Pour batter into a greased 8x8 pyrex dish

Sprinkle pecans and remaining chocolate chips over batter

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes

Cool and serve

OMG Pancakes!

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/2 Cup Nut butter (almond or cashew are great)

30g Scoop of Protein Powder (I used Cookies and Cream flavor)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup blueberries (optional)

Cinnamon

Butter

Instructions

Combine the eggs, mashed banana, and nut butter until smooth. Mix in the protein powder and baking powder. Add blueberries if you like.

Grease a hot skillet or large frying pan with butter and pour pancake batter in by about 1/3 cup scoops. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Pancakes are ready to flip when the bubbles rise to the top and pop.

These were delicious all on their own, but would be good topped with applesauce, cooked berries, more nut butter or honey/maple syrup if you're going for that sugary treat.

(Makes about 10 pancakes)

Fat Guacamole Devils

Found this recipe on Mark's Daily Apple and anything with eggs and avocados gets an automatic A+ from me!

Ingredients:

• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (or more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
• salt & pepper to taste

Click here for instructions

Paleo Pad Thai

When looking for inspiration to keep your caveman food interesting, think international. Thai flavors are built around spicy, sweet, and savory ingredients like hot peppers, lime, nuts, and cilantro.

This recipe works very well with spaghetti squash in place of the traditional rice vermicelli noodles. It can also be served over broccoli slaw and bean sprouts when you can't get your hands on a squash.

Sauce:

3 TB lime juice

3 TB soy sauce

3 TB fish sauce

2 TB rice vinegar

1 TB Honey
1 TB sesame oil

Red Pepper flakes, to desired spiciness

Stirfry:

1/2 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

Chicken, shrimp, beef, or pork

Veggies - shredded carrots, celery, bell peppers, shredded zucchini, broccoli, bok choy... pretty much anything you can dig out of your fridge.

Saute the onions and garlic in a bit of oil for 1-2 minutes, then add your protein and stirfry until fully cooked. Toss in the veggies and cook until they start to soften. Add the sauce and simmer for a few minutes. Serve over raw or steamed broccoli slaw & bean sprouts or over spaghetti squash guts.